Kansas City Dime Museum

Financed by Abraham Judah, “a pioneer of theatrical activities in Kansas City,” the Kansas City Dime Museum operated as a theatre and exhibition hall from its inception through 1890. Judah, who brought the “Wild Man of Borneo” to the city, continued to headline exotic shows, including “Zella Zubalon, Cirasscian,” “James Wilson, the Human Balloon” and “Sig Franco, the Stone Eater,” in addition to light opera.

The building also served as the location for Kansas City’s first public art gallery, a collection that was later moved to the first Public Library. Called the Western Gallery of Art, this temporary home, founded by William Rockhill Nelson, was the precursor to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.